Team Take Two, Three, Four
by Nightengale
Summary: After the plane lands in LAX, Arthur, Eames, Ariadne, Yusuf and discuss some plans of what to do now that inception has succeeded, crime does pay!  Or a 'how the trio was formed' fic for my lovely little series!


Ariadne stands at the curb just outside of LAX waiting for a taxi, bag at her feet. The airport employees seem to like being in charge of grabbing taxis for the waiting tourists so she doesn't press it. She's not in a terrible hurry at the moment. The feel, the ecstasy, the joy of 'we did it' still seems to be stuck into her skin, glowing around her; successful inception.

"So, how long are you staying?"

Ariadne glances at Arthur now standing beside her. She raises her eyebrows.

He motions to the airport behind them. "You heading back to Paris soon?"

Ariadne shakes her head. "I have a place in New York so I'm going home there for a while after a few days here. Plus my classes are over for this semester anyway."

Arthur nods. "Drink then?"

"Shouldn't we be splitting up and hiding away or something?"

Arthur shakes his head. "Usually that's for when the job goes wrong."

"Oh." Ariadne nods then looks around Arthur. "Where's Eames?"

Arthur points to the right over Ariadne's shoulder. "There."

She turns and sees Eames walking toward them with Yusuf at his side. Ariadne looks back at Arthur. He smiles and Ariadne cocks an eyebrow.

"Planning something?"

"Celebratory drink is a plan."

Ariadne picks up her bag. "Yes, it is."

Eames and Yusuf come up and stop beside Ariadne.

"So," Eames says, "You game then?"

"We really shouldn't be standing all together here," Yusuf grumbles.

"Paranoid, are we?" Eames nudges Yusuf's shoulder.

Yusuf grins. "Can't be seen with the likes of you."

"I'm hurt."

"You are not."

Arthur waves his hand in the air as a taxi slides to the curb just behind them. Eames grins at Yusuf and drags his bag around them as another taxi pulls up behind the first.

"You can ride with Arthur then if I so offend your senses, Yusuf."

"You want to make a break for it?" Ariadne fake whispers to Yusuf. "I bet if we jump in the taxi now we can get away before they could tell their driver to 'follow that cab!'"

Yusuf laughs as Arthur opens the taxi door. Arthur just smiles at Ariadne and waits. Ariadne turns to Yusuf and gives him a 'so?' look. He sighs.

"Fine but we're stopping at my hotel," Yusuf says, walking toward Eames.

"Oh my." Eames throws his bag in the trunk of his taxi and walks over to take Yusuf's bag from him. "Such demands."

"See you at the bar," Arthur says as he slides into the taxi, Ariadne along side.

Twenty minutes later they meet at a generic bar and restaurant, low lighting and loud conversation inside. The quartet weaves their way through tables until they find themselves a table with a booth and two chairs in the back corner. The table beside them is vacant and the angle of restaurant makes their little corner somewhat cut off from the rest of the establishment; perfect for four dream workers who just pulled off inception.

Eames orders the four of them a round of drinks, beer for Yusuf and Arthur, cosmopolitan for Ariadne, and gin and tonic for Eames, 'must go all out for celebrating.'

"So," Eames raises his glass to Ariadne and Yusuf sitting in the chairs across from himself and Arthur in the booth. "Cheers for success?"

"Perfectly vague." Ariadne laughs and raises her glass.

They clink their glasses together as one and drink. Eames hisses and puts his glass down on the table. Arthur looks at Eames.

"Bad gin?"

"Good gin."

Yusuf taps the edge of his bottle. "Good beer."

Ariadne puts down her glass and leans back in her chair, arms crossed. "So, where did you two disappear to all week on layer 1?"

Arthur's eyes fly open like a deer in headlights. "What?"

Eames chuckles.

"I saw you two after the river." She picks up her glass again. "Eames, you had a wicked look on your face."

Eames shrugs. "No idea what you mean."

"Yes, you do." Yusuf gulps more of his beer. "You told me before we got on the plane you wanted that week to – "

"I will kill you all," Arthur snaps.

Eames snorts and quickly grips Arthur's leg. "Relax, love."

Arthur clenches his eyes shut and squeezes Eames' hand tightly on his leg.

"Ow ow ow!" Eames' gasps and pulls his hand back.

Ariadne laughs. "You know, we were supposed to all go to separate hide outs. I made everyone their own place."

"Very nice, Ariadne," Yusuf turns to her, "I liked the pictures on the wall."

Ariadne grins and flutters her eyelashes. "Just so you wouldn't forget the team."

"Shame I couldn't keep them."

"What's your excuses?" Ariadne looks back at Arthur and Eames. "Couldn't take a week by yourselves?"

Arthur just 'humphs' at her. Eames ruffles Arthur's hair much to the point man's chagrin. Eames picks up his drink and takes a sip, shrugging one shoulder at Ariadne.

"I did not find much danger in going as a pair." Eames leans forward slightly in his seat. "Quite lovely in fact."

"Uh huh. I believe Dom's exact words were 'split up for the rest of the week in the dream, pretend its vacation.'"

"And Arthur grumbled something about 'there to work,'" Yusuf adds with a laugh.

"I still would have appreciated a kick back to the plane instead," Eames says, leaning against the booth and putting an arm on the back over Arthur.

"What, so you and Arthur didn't have to bang all week in a dream?" Ariadne asks.

Arthur coughs violently.

"Yes." Eames points at Ariadne with a grin. "We could have done it in reality instead."

"You poor thing."

"Exactly."

"Not half as exciting in a dream."

"Such limitations."

Arthur grabs a passing waiter by the arm. "Shot of whiskey, please!"

"Speaking of poor thing," Eames smirks.

Arthur glares at him.

Yusuf taps his bottle on the table. "Does this mean you two are officially exclusive now?"

The waiter returns with Arthur's shot which he downs quickly, handing the small glass back before the man leaves. Eames brushes a hand down Arthur's tie as Arthur settles back against the seat. He glances at Eames and his lips quirk up slightly. Eames smiles wide then thumbs the edge of Arthur's jaw.

"Oh god," Ariadne says sarcastically, "romantic smiles."

Yusuf sighs.

Eames turns back to Yusuf. "Perhaps I am not so promiscuous as you've been led to believe."

"I'll mark it in my date book."

Eames sits up and waves his finger. "You don't have a date book."

"As I am sure you know."

"I've been through your desk."

Yusuf's hand freezes with his beer half way up in the air. "What?"

"So!" Arthur turns to Ariadne. "What are your plans now?"

Ariadne shrugs. "Well, I guess I should finish my degree."

Eames scoffs and leans back against the booth again. "Degrees…"

"Like you can talk, Mr. psychology," Arthur counters.

"What?"

Eames clears his throat and looks at the ceiling.

Ariadne's brow crinkles. "You have a psychology degree?"

"Is it so surprising?" Yusuf asks.

Eames takes a sip of his drink. "We Brits attend university."

Ariadne looks at Yusuf. "No, you're right, not at all."

"Mind games?" Eames says with a laugh.

Arthur rolls his eyes.

"You're not Dr. Eames, are you?"

"Thank God, no," Arthur grumbles.

Eames looks sharply at Arthur. "And now I'm insulted."

Ariadne can't stop a giggle and puts a hand over her mouth. Arthur gives Eames a look to which he pouts dramatically. Arthur shakes his head and rubs Eames' arm once.

Eames points at Arthur with the hand holding his drink. "All the love I get."

Arthur gulps down the rest of his beer. "Oh my God."

"Brat," Yusuf mutters.

"What are you three doing now?" Ariadne says, getting back into real conversation. "More crime?"

"You wanna keep your voice down?" Arthur hisses.

"It's true," Ariadne replies with a grin.

Eames sits up. "Well, you see, we had an idea about that."

"_You_ had an idea," Arthur says.

"_I_ had an idea about that," Eames emphasizes.

Yusuf crosses his arms. "Never a good sign."

"Dom's going out of the game, obviously," Arthur starts, voice slightly hushed.

"Dear Arthur could never leave it," Eames interrupts, "trumps his army days by miles."

Ariadne's eyes widen. "You were in the army?"

Arthur nods. "Yeah."

Ariadne nods back. "Wow."

Arthur nods again. "Yeah."

"Good thing you left." Ariadne crosses her arms.

"It's called 'going AWOL.'" Arthur crosses his back at her.

Ariadne leans toward him and smiles. "Good thing you went AWOL."

Arthur tilts his head. "Not for the law."

"As I was saying," Eames says with a glare.

"Professor…" Yusuf mutters.

Eames looks over slowly at Yusuf. Yusuf just shakes his head and waves a hand over the table for Eames to continue. Eames' eyes flick back to Ariadne.

"Well, we have myself who, if I can brag –"

"You do," Arthur says.

"– May in fact be the best forger there is."

"Maybe," Yusuf mutters.

"Yusuf here," Eames points at the man with his one hand, "with compounds which, as we've seen, can tackle inception with ease."

"What did I say about keeping –"

"And Arthur," Eames pinches Arthur's cheek and he grimaces, "whose dedication and ability to shoot are quite unparalleled."

Arthur crosses his arms, pushing Eames' hand away, and shakes his head. Eames smiles at the side of Arthur's face for a moment then he looks back to Ariadne.

"Then we have you, my dear, and I must say your work is…" He pauses and tilts his head. "It is pure art."

Ariadne smiles widely.

"But you are new to the business, very little contacts thus far, so you could use a hand."

Arthur holds up a finger. "This is if she stays in this life of crime."

Eames smirks. "She will."

Yusuf looks at Ariadne and raises his eyebrows. Ariadne laughs once and smiles at Yusuf beside her. He tips his head at her and really it was never a question.

"Yeah." She turns back to Eames and Arthur. "Yeah, I will."

Arthur, Eames, and Yusuf all smile as if on cue.

Ariadne gulps down the last of her drink and spreads out her hands. "So?"

"So," Eames says, looking at Ariadne and Yusuf in turn, "why not form a team?"

Yusuf scoffs loudly. "Oh no."

"What?"

"You're mad."

"Not today."

Yusuf puts his beer down on the table and leans forward in his chair. "We just barely survived that mess and you want to hop right back in all together?"

Eames nods. "As I said."

"Mad." Yusuf leans back in his chair. "As I said!"

"Oh, poor Yusuf." Eames frowns excessively. "Inception shake you up?"

"Remember, I have two shares from this." Yusuf finishes his beer. "I think I can afford a break, no?"

"He didn't say we'd be getting a job tomorrow," Arthur insists. "Just working together; we would be good."

"Do you remember coming to my shop?"

Eames sighs. "Yusuf…"

"I said, 'I rarely go out into the field?'"

"Yes, but…"

"I'm in," Ariadne says abruptly. The men's heads snap around to stare at her. She grins and nods definitively. "Most definitely in. I can't think of anyone better to team with."

Arthur smiles. "Pure creation?"

Ariadne nods. "As _I_ said."

Eames smiles too. "Fantastic."

Yusuf shakes his head then pulls out his wallet.

"Come on, Yusuf," Eames puts out his hands, "It would be perfect. Think about it."

"Stuff it, Eames." Yusuf replies and Eames barks a laugh. "I will be staying in my shop for a while, thank you." Yusuf places a twenty on the table and stands up, picking up his coat. "I do hope you don't die."

"We'll work on that."

Yusuf smiles at Eames then squeezes Ariadne's shoulder. "Good luck to you all. It has been a pleasure."

"I'm sure we'll be by sometime," Arthur replies.

They all smile and Yusuf flicks up two fingers in 'goodbye' then walks away. Ariadne watches Yusuf go for a moment then turns back to Arthur and Eames sitting across from her.

"So," she crosses her legs, "the three of us?"

"A beautiful trio."

Arthur looks at Eames with a small smile and his expression reads something about 'beautiful' but he's holding back. Eames peers at Arthur out of the corner of his eyes then suddenly turns and kisses him. Arthur jerks in surprise but Eames holds his cheek and kisses him again.

Ariadne groans and shakes her head. "I'm going to have to deal with this gush forever, aren't I?"

"No," Arthur says defensively, pulling out of the embrace, cheeks slightly pink.

Eames grins and nods. "Oh, yes you will."

Arthur looks to the side. "…yeah."

"I'll buy insulin."

Arthur frowns. "So funny."

"It is," Ariadne and Eames say together.

Arthur shakes his head but they can see he's fighting a smile. Ariadne picks up her glass and drinks down the last of it. Setting it back on the table, Ariadne nods her head at the door.

"So, should we get going, team?"

"Yes." Eames sits up and sets his glass on the table. "No doubt Arthur wants to make plans of some sort."

"Well, we can go to my place for now." Arthur gives Eames a look and pinches him almost imperceptibly in the side.

Eames twitches away and smirks.

Ariadne picks up her purse. "LA apartment?"

Arthur nods. "And one in New York."

"Aw, we're neighbors."

"Come on." Arthur throws some money on the table. "Let's go."

Ariadne adds some cash and the three of them stand up and head out of the restaurant. Out on the street, Arthur waves his arm in the air, trying to catch the three of them a cab. Ariadne turns to Eames.

"Do you… do you think this will really work, the three of us?"

Eames smiles. "Of course."

A taxi pulls up to the curb and Arthur pulls open the door, turning back to them.

"We'll find out," Arthur says, "won't we?"


End file.
